[gogreen437]

I've always just thrown my hops right into the boil, but I'm getting tired of cleaning my little funnel/filter out 4 or 5 times when transferring from my brew kettle to my carboy.  How many use hop bags out there and do you notice any loss in utilization? 

[tankdeer]

I used to back in the day, but found it was more trouble than it was worth. I throw them in loose, and I don't bother to filter them out of the carboy either. Even on light beers (drinking a fantastic helles right now), I don't notice a difference.

[denny]

I use them for whole hops but not for pellets.

[mabrungard]

It sounds like you're pouring the wort into the fermenter. That would be one reason you're fighting with the trub.  A proper whirlpool and cooling will allow you to siphon off the wort from the kettle into the fermenter while leaving more trub behind. 

[gogreen437]

It sounds like you're pouring the wort into the fermenter. That would be one reason you're fighting with the trub.  A proper whirlpool and cooling will allow you to siphon off the wort from the kettle into the fermenter while leaving more trub behind. 

Yes, I do pour.  My bootleg manner of adding oxygen is pouring between my bucket and brew kettle a few times before pouring through a mesh screen.  If I want to whirlpool I stir and let settle, then siphon? Or is it more complex a process than this?

[blatz]

+1 to martin - you'd be amazed when you see the 'cone' form.

even better - hook up a weldless ball valve setup with a pickup tube against the side...

get a mix stir for oxygenating.

[euge]

I use them for all hops these days. Primarily because the whole-hop seeds jack with my march pump and I can't seem to filter them without the trub then causing a problem by clogging up the filter.

I use all manner of bags for dry-hopping and boiling. Last night I used a large coarse mesh bag and just added the hops to the bag per the schedule. For the keg I use little bouquet garni bags that hold about a 1/4" of whole hops each.

[Slowbrew]

I used to use them all the time.  Anymore I just toss in pellets and I used a paint straining bag suspended in the kettle for whole hops.

I've tried straining but the trub just clogs the screen and takes forever to drain.

Paul

[jaybeerman]

i use a false bottom and almost always use all whole hops. 

[morticaixavier]

I use a hop bag cause otherwise my spigot gets all clogged up, I have not been able to get the whirlpool to work for me. Perhaps I am doing it wrong but I do notice a little loss of utilization. I just bump up the hops a bit to account.

[Pawtucket Patriot]

I use a 5 gallon nylon paint strainer for everything but a FWH addition.  Works great -- minimal mess.

[richardt]

For what it is worth, I have bought nylon strainer bags (but have yet to use them).

I use pellet hops in the BK.  Even add pellet hops for aroma when the temp drops below flash point (<180F) and let it steep for 30-45 minutes during chilling with the IC.

No whole hops are used.

I do 10 gallon batches and note that it drops quite clear during that time. 
The first 5 gallons that go into the fermentation bucket is crystal clear (no trub, no hops).

The second 5 gallons that go into the second fermentation bucket is clear for the first 4 gallons and then it comes time to decide whether I want to stop there or try to strain out the last gallon of wort.  Being the ever-so-frugal kind-of-guy, I can't seem to help myself from straining the rest of the wort out from the break material and hops.  I use an 8-inch SS china cap buillion strainer (extra fine SS mesh)--almost the same result as a fine nylon mesh bag (though I think the nylon mesh is even more fine than the SS strainer).  I would recommend the bag versus the 4 inch diameter disc that sits in the large funnels you can buy at the LHBS.  Simply for the reason that there is more surface area to prevent clogging.

[Malticulous]

I've used bags on less than 1% of my brews. 98% of the time I've dumped the whole boil. As late I've been whirlpooling and siphoning. I've lost some of my hop balance I'd had before so my recipes need some adjustment. I think I lost some astringency from the hops so it's worth the extra effort.  I've also noticed lower attenuation. The break is good for the yeast.

[hopfenundmalz]

False bottom in the brew kettle, so no bag.

Nylon bag goes around the racking cane to filter out the hops when dry hops are in a carboy.

Hops go in a nylon bag if keg hops are used.

[Will's Swill]

I nearly always use hop bags for the boil, but never for dry hopping.  I did side-by-side brews with and without hop bags and I couldn't tell the difference, but enough other people could that I concluded that there must be a small decrease in hop utilization.